Brickmaking-machine.



1. R. ROOT. BBICKMAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6. 916.

Patehted Mar. 6, 1917;

JOHN R. ROOT, OF TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

BRICKMAKING-MACHINE.

Application filed March 6, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOHN R. Roor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, county of Vigo, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brickmaking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to brick making machines. 7 I

The object of'the present invention' is the provision of a machine for the manufacture of an improved brick, and the carrying out of the process of producing said; brick, which forms the subject-matter of an ap plication executed of even date herewith for a brick and process of producing the same. I v

The present machineis adapted for producing bricks having lugs to serve as spacers, particularly for bricks used in paving, which are set on edge, to facilitate filling of the joints with the binder-used to hold the bricks together. The machine of the present invention is adapted to extrude a clay bar or column having lengthwise extending ribs and to cut out or remove portions of said ribs to define, by the remaining, uncut portions of said ribs, outwardly projecting lugs which are of uniform height and preferably of uniform spacing V and thereafter, the clay column maybe severed into successive brick.

My machine employs a die having grooves by which the lengthwise extending ribs are automatically formed as the claybar is extruded through said die, and thereafter,

a cut-out mechanism-removes portions of these ribs to define the lugs which subsequently appear, without further pressure,

formation ortreatment on the finished brick. The bricks produced by my machine have lugs which are disposed, respectively, in rows below the top, and above the bot tom of the brick, enabling the binder or filler used between adjacent brick in a structure such as'paving, to flow freely, and

the lugs are disposed so' that they will not chip off and are arranged in alternation, those of one rowbeing opposite the spaces between those of another row. The machine of the present invention is adapted Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

Serial No. 82,439.

to be used for the formation of a single clay column or clay bar, or, a clay bar which is split longitudinally to form two independent clay bars. According to whether one, or, two clay bars are produced, there will be provided one, or two, sets of grooves on the'extruding die and one, or two, cutout mechanisms for removing parts of the ribs to form the lugs.

My machine produces a wire-cut brick with die-formed, cut-out ribs to produce lugs which are thus die-formed, as distinguished from ribs heretofore provided which have been wire-cut. In my machine, knives or cutters may be substituted for the cutting wires, if preferred, or, wherever a smooth, as distinguished from a roughened, face is desired 011 the'brick. However, as a roughened faceis advantageous as it more firmly adheres to a binder's'uch as cement, grout, or other filler, the employment of wires for removing portionsof the ribs to form the lugs is preferable, as the uniformity of height of the previous die-formed ribs, and consequently, the uniformity of height of the subsequentlyformed lugs is not disturbed and the same wires which remove portions of the die-formed ribs to provide said lugs, may also be used to cut a little deeper and roughen the side of the clay column so that the completed brick will have a roughenedsurface.

My improved machine forms the lugs at such points that they are not subject to chipping, and by reason of the original dieforming of the ribs from which the lugs are made, I obviate the defects inhering in lug and rib formation on bricks by machines heretofore employed for that purpose. In those machines where the lugs or projections are provided by the use of rolls having recesses, the adhering of portions of viously wire-cut brick, the present machine obviates the smoothing of the previously wire-cut rough surface which results from such re-pressing.

The embodiment of the invention whlch is hereinafter set forth and shown in the accompanying drawings is to be considered only as illustrative, and not restrictive, of the scope of the invention, as modifications may be' resorted to in the operative parts of the machine without changing the essential principles of construction and operation for the production of a brick having the characteristics previously set forth.

lln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective, showing the present improvements and so much of the head of a brick machine and the table thereof, as will illustrate the application of the invention thereto; a split clay bar undergoing extrusion and treatment being illustrated;

Fig. 2, a front view of the die and center cutting wire;

Fig. 3, a detail of the rocker and its outout wire; and

Fig. 4, a detail of a brick produced by my machine, after severance from the clay bar by the usual, or any preferred, cut-off Wire or knife mechanism.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the head of an ordinary brick making machine is shown at 1 to the mouth of which is attached a die 2 which has grooves 3 in its vertical side edges. The die 2 which is shown, is adapted for the formation of continuous ribs 4 on the sides of the clay bar 5, 5 ,'the two bars of which are formed by the wire, knife, or cutter 6 attached to the flanges 7 and 8 on the die 2. 1f but one clay bar is to be provided, the grooves 3 will be provided on only one of the vertical side edges of the die.

Where a smooth side is desired on the juxtaposed faces of the double clay bar 5, 5 along the division line 9 a knife blade will be provided, and when a roughened surface is desired, a cutting wire such as shown in Fig. 1 at 6, is employed.

If a. single col-umnclay bar is formed, not

only will the grooves 3 be omitted on one vertical side edge of the die 2, but also, at that edge there may be provided, if desired, a cutting wire so that that face of the single column clay bar will be roughened. If roughening is not desired, the edge on the die will form a smooth surface and the cutting wire will be omitted.

- As the brick machine'forces the clay bar 7 through the die 2, the set, or sets, of grooves die 2, it is received on a belt 10 of the table 11, said belt running over rollers 12 and end pulleys, one'of which is shown at 18.

The ribs 4 being formed by the act of extruding the clay through the die 2 and grooves 3, in order to provide the lugs 14 which stand out from the face or faces of the clay bar and appear in the complete brick of Fig. 4, there is provided a rocking or vibrating arm 15 which is journaled at 16 and 17 in the upper and lower flanges 7 and 8 .and is adapted to swing toward and away from the ribbed side of the clay bar. If the double or split clay bar composed of the sections 5, 5 is being formed, there will be provided two of these rocker arms 15 and allied devices now to be described, one on eachside of'the double clay bar, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the ribs on the section 5 will be cut out just as are the ribs on the section 5. If a single clay bar is being formed, the ribs 4 being only formed on one side of the clay bar, only one, of the cutting out devices will be provided. The cutting out device 18 may be in the form of a wire with suitable tension and adjusting means 18 and 18 or, a knife may be employed. If it is desired to roughen that side of the clay bar on which the lugs are to be formed, the wire 18 may be adjusted or arranged to make a little deeper out than the depth of the ribs 4 so that it will scratch or roughen the faces of the clay bar. I may,

or preferred form at points between the ribs 4 and above and below these ribs in the,

general region of the mouth of the die 2 so that this scratcher will act upon the side of the clay bar before the latter is operated upon by the cut-out device 18.

A bracket 19 is secured to the head of the brick machine or to the flange 8 and has a sleeve 20. An operating rod 21 has a splined or square portion 22 sliding in a cor responding opening in the sleeve or guide 20 and is provided with a link .connection 23 with an arm 24 on the rocker 15. An adjustably tensioned spring 25 is interposed between the arm 24 and head 1 and serves to move the rocker 15 toward the side of the clay bar to position the cutting out device 18 so that it will remove sections of the ribs 4. To cause the cutting out operation to occur at regular intervals with intermediate release from the ribs so that the lugs 14 will be formed, a cam 26 is adapted to cooperate with the roller 27 on the end of the operating rod 121. The cam .26 may be geared to the :shaft of the pulley or drum 13, or if this :cam is of the same size as the pulley,

it may be directly connected to the shaft of the latter, but it is obvious that various operating means could be provided to swing rocker 15 in opposition to the spring 25 t produce the lugs 14. I

As the clay issues from the die 2, the grooves 3 first form the continuous longitudinally extending ribs 4. Thereafter, the cutting out device 18 is forced into the ribs 4 and the timing of the cam 26 is such that the cutting out device 18 dwells in its in ward position,cutting off a given length or section of the ribs 4, as the clay bar advances, and the cutting out device is then retracted and shortly afterward again engaged with the ribs 4 to cut out other sections thereof. Ihe uncut parts of the ribs 4 constitute lugs 14 which are thus provided at uniformly spaced intervals those of one row being opposite the spaces between those of another row, and, as the ribs 4 are dieformed by extrusion, as distinguished from pressure of any kind toward the face of the clay bar, these ribs being of uniform height, the resulting lugs 14 are of uniform height.

The out out mechanisms on both sides of the machine, where a double clay bar 5, 5 is being formed, are operated by the same kind of cams 26, one being provided on each side of the table 11.

Any suitably operated cut off means, for instance, a cut-off wire, where a rough end brick is desired, or a cutting knife, where a smooth end brick is to be provided, regularly severs the section or sections of the clay bar according as the same is single or double, after suitable travel on the table 11,

to form the completed bricks, one of which is shown in Fig. 4.

The brick shown in Fig. 4 illustrates how, by setting the wires 18 so that they will cut a little below the bases of the ribs 4, they may be used as a roughening means for one side of the brick as shown at 28 in addition to their function of cutting out the parts of the ribs which are removed to form the lugs 1.4. Should the clay bar slip on the table, the transversely operating out off or brick severing device may cut at a point where a lug 14 will be partly severed, as shown at 29, but this does not necessarily occur in carrying out the process.

The completed brick of Fig. 4 has lugs 14 which are located below the upper face 30 of the brick and above the lower face 31 thereof, and as the lugs are of uniform height in respect to the side of the brick from which they project, they enable the bricks to be laid, for paving orother pur poses, in substantial parallelism and obviate the varying and non-uniform heights of lugs or projections which result from forming tinguished from continuous lugs or ribs, freev flow of the binding material between adjacent bricks is permitted. An added advantage resides in the location of the lugs 14 below the upper face 30 and above the lower face 31 of the brick, as there is no possibility of the chipping ofi of these, lugs when the brick is in use.

The lugs produced from one rib are disposed opposite the spaces cut from another rib. The ends of the lugs may be inclined, due to the inclination of the wire 18.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for making bricks, the combination with meansfor producing and advancing a bar having a plurality of ribs, of a cut-out device disposed in inclined relation to the length of the ribs produced on the bar and movable toward and away from said bar and adapted to enter the ribs and to simultaneously remove portions of said ribs to leave lugs having inclined ends the lugs of one rib being opposite the cut out parts of another rib.

2. In a machine for making bricks, the combination with means for producing and advancing a bar having a plurality of ribs,

of a movably mounted cut-out device, and

means for periodically moving said cut-out device into and out of penetrated engagement with the said plurality of ribs on the bar and to stationarily retain it in penetrated engagement with said plurality of ribs to thereby simultaneously produce lugs out of said ribs the lugs of one rib being opposite the cut out parts of another rib.

3. In a machine for making bricks, the combination with means for producing and advancing a bar having a plurality of ribs, of a movably mounted frame, a wire carried thereby which is inclined in relation to the ribs produced on the bar, and means for periodically moving the said frame and wire into and out of penetrated engagement with the said plurality of ribs on the bar and will be retained in penetrated engagement with said plurality of ribs to thereby produce lugs out of said ribs simultaneously.

4. In a machine for making bricks, the combination with means for producing and advancing a bar having a plurality of ribs, of a cutter for cutting out portions of said plurality of ribs which alternate on one rib in relation to those on another rib, thereby defining lugs out of each rib that are dis posed opposite the cut-out portions on another rib.

.5. In a machine for making bricks, the

combination with means for producing and advancing a bar having a plurality of ribs, of a movably mounted cutting device, and means for periodically moving said cutting device so that different portions thereof Will come into and out of penetrated engagement With relatively offset portions of the said plurality of ribs and to retain it in penetrated engagement With said ribs, there- Gopies of thispatent may beobtained for by cutting portions out of said ribs which are relativelyoif-set and producing lugs from each rib Which are arranged opposite the spaces formed by cutting portions from another rib.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN R. ROOT.

Washington, D. c." 

